Poland's Sejm votes to add crypto to its sanctions freeze powers

Poland's lower house cleared the government-backed Act on Restrictive Measures on Friday, voting 240 to 202 with one abstention, and passed it along to the Senate on Monday, according to official parliamentary records. The bill writes crypto into the country's sanctions toolkit: digital assets as defined under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) would count among the funds authorities can freeze.

The interior minister would run Poland's national sanctions list, and a designation would take effect the day after it is published. The people and companies hit could challenge the decision in administrative court, but the bill permits enforcement to begin before a judge rules.

Poland is not building from scratch. A 2022 law already created a national sanctions list aimed at countering support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The new bill widens the grounds for listings to include certain foreign interference and information manipulation that poses a serious threat to national security.

The Senate now has 30 days to approve, amend or reject the legislation. If it does nothing, Poland's Constitution treats the bill as approved in the form the Sejm passed, sending it on to the president.